Am I eligible as a spouse of a deceased veteran?

There are some requirements for the spouse of a deceased veteran to qualify for a VA loan. First, you must a have an OK credit and enough income to pay for the mortgage and other expenses. Second, you must use the house for your personal use. Third, you must obtain a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). When you are ready to apply for the VA loan, the lender uses the COE to verify that you qualify for the benefits of a VA loan.

Other Conditions to qualify for the VA loan

In addition to the above requirements, you should also meet one of the following conditions:

• You are unmarried and was the spouse of a veteran that died either while being in service, or by a disability caused during service
• You were the spouse of a person that was missing in action or prisoner of war
• You were a spouse that remarried after you reached 57 years old
• You were the spouse of an almost totally disabled veteran that died. In this particular situation, it doesn’t matter the cause the death.

If so far, you qualify for a VA loan, the last thing that you should do is to get the COE. Depending on the veteran’s cause of death, you must provide certain forms to verify your eligibility to receive the COE.

Documents needed to apply for the COE:

• if the member died while working in the military, then do the following:
  • If receiving Dependency Indemnity Compensation (DIC) – don’t send anything.
  • If not receiving DIC – send a copy of the DD form 1300 (Report of casualty for the military), and copy of your marriage certificate.
• If the veteran death is connected to the military service, then do the following:
  • If receiving DIC – send copy of the award letter.
  • If not receiving DIC – send copy of the veteran’s DD form 214, the veteran’s death certificate, and your marriage certificate

Don’t forget to add the veteran’s social security in each of the documents that you send. If you are not receiving DIC, it is also recommended for you to add a signed statement saying that you want to apply for the DIC.

To find out more about your eligibility and about where to apply for the COE, contact us. We are a reputable mortgage broker located in the New York area.